Till Death Do Us Part 5
by Doug2
Summary: Melinda grows up and exhibits some remarkable powers.


Part 5

Everything seemed to come easy for ten year old Melinda Wyatt from creating art work in her school classes to taking tests and doing homework. Having inherited the Halliwell stubbornness to get things right, she took pride in her work and in everything she was did. Of the original three Charmed Ones, Prue seemed to possess the most of the Halliwell  
stubbornness. Melinda always enjoyed doing things with her hands and drawing in her sketchbook. She liked to go up into Frederick Park above the house and sit and draw. Trees and flowers and rocks and animals. Anything that took her fancy. The scene seemed to jump off the landscape and onto her tablet. Her whole room was filled with  
pictures she had made. Piper and Leo were very proud of their daughter. And so was little Patti. She could never quite get the crayon held right and her pictures were rough and scribbly. Though Melinda would praise her Patti knew she didn't have the talent. Patti  
would oo and ah over the magical way the picture would appear with Melinda clear steady hands. Melinda loved her little sister and would take her to the hills with her. This one spring morning was especially lovely.

"Slow down, Patti!" Melinda called up to her sister who was disappearing around the bend.

Her head popped out from around a tree. "I know the spot Linny," called back Patti. "You hurry up!"

Melinda kept her usual steady pace counting all the things that she loved about Patti. That helped when she was being especially annoying. After staying home with a cold for a week, Patti was excited about being out again in the world. Sighing Melinda walked up the well-worn path. Reaching the top of the hill she found an appropriate rock and sat down looking over the houses in the valley below. Patti amused herself poking her head in the bushes investigating the wildlife and counting the birch trees she could find. Melinda had been showing her the different kinds of trees on the hill. She pulled out her pad and started sketching her favorite maple tree. It stood by itself in the clearing below her and was very symmetrical when the leaves were in full bloom.

"Linny, why is the grass green? And the trees and bushes and fence posts?" asked Patti while blowing on a dandelion.

"Plants are green so they can breathe the air, Patti. The fence post was just painted that way. It's not alive," said Melinda not even looking up.

"The post is made of wood. It's alive!" called back Patti straining her voice a bit to make a point.

"Not any more. If it was alive, it wouldn't be painted," called back Melinda.

"But it's growing out of the ground just like that apple tree in our yard!

Melinda looked up annoyed but lovingly. "Does it have branches and leaves? No. That is a post that was put in the grounds to hold up the wire fence!"

"Why a fence?" replied Patti screwing up her face.

"I said a wire fence. A fence made up of wire, Patti, You've seen it before. We've been here many time, Patti dear. Please let me finish this sketch. OK?" asked Melinda.

"Yes, Linny. I leave ya alone," replied Patti as she turned around and kicked a stone down the hill.

Melinda looked long and hard at her sketch and then started drawing like a house afire. The tree literally began to grow off the page. She finished the sketch, put in some lines and then started filling in the details.

Patti just kicked a few more rocks down the hill. "Stupid Linny, no one to talk to. I wish I could fly away. I wish I could fly. Maybe," Patti said quietly to herself. A thought hit Patti as she saw a big rock. Her Daddy could fly away. He did it all the time so why  
shouldn't she. Patti climbed up five feet and walked to the very edge. It wasn't so far down. Her mother could pick her up that high. She flapped her arms and nothing happened. "Darn it," thought Patti. Maybe a running start would help. She flapped her arms wildly and run off the rock. The mind can work very quickly went the adventure is  
happening. Patti jumped up flapping her arms and could really feel she was flying. Nothing but the sky was above her and the slopping hill and valley below her. "I'm flying!" she screamed. "I'm flying!" But the feeling didn't last for long. The ground started to come up very fast. Patti screamed as her feet hit the ground followed by her  
head hitting a rock. Everything went black.

Melinda merely heard a disturbing sound as Patti screamed hitting the rock.

"Patti!" screamed Melinda. Her precious notebook was tossed aside as she ran to her sister's side. Patti shook her sister as the limp body of Patti lay there with a mass of blood on one side of her head. Filled with that Halliwell common sense Melinda knew she  
couldn't be moved. Her knowledge of first aid was limited. Should she go get help or is something might happen to Patti while she was gone. Quite a life and death decision for a ten year old.

"Daddy? Daddy? Can you hear me?" Melinda called out to the sky. "Please come and help Patti!" But no one came.

Melinda began to sob uncontrollably. Though she was a loving child, she was usually never this emotional. She didn't want anything to happen to her beloved sister. Patti picked up her head cradling it softly.

"Don't go, Patti. Don't leave me. I need you. Mommy and Daddy need  
you. I love you so much!" called out Melinda.

Then the strangest thing happened. Her hands began to tingle and get warm like she was holding a heating pad. They got warm and began to glow with a white light. Patti's whole head was bathed in the light.

"Whoa. What is this?" she cried out. Though she had seen some strange things and she just sat there. The blood that had seeped from Patti's head had dried up. Her scratches and scrapes had disappeared. Patti began to stir as the glow and warmth disappeared. "Patti? Patti, are you all right?"

Patti first twitched and then shifted in her sleep. Melinda shook her hand as Patti's eyes popped open.

"Linny, what happened? I was flying and then .." said Patti still quite confused.

"Try a plane next time. Oh, I am so glad you're all right. Let's get you home," said Melinda with a gleam in her eye.

Shortly before dinner their father appeared in the kitchen.

Piper looked up, smiled and quipped, "Right on time for once. Normally you don't keep business hours, but then you're not that normal."

Leo hesitated a bit. He could never hide anything from his wife.

"Leo?" asked Piper titling her head and pushing her hair back. "Is something's wrong?"

"Not really wrong. Melinda. Did someone have an accident today?" Leo asked kneeling down to her level.

"What did you say?' asked a concerned Piper as she threw down her dishrag.

Melinda put down her pad and fidgeted a bit. She looked at the floor and then at the ceiling and then into her parents worried eyes. She wanted to tell them, but she didn't know how much trouble she'd get into for having not watched Patti. Or her other strange occurrence.

"Melinda, this very important. Please tell Daddy," Leo urged her taking her hand.

"Melinda, help us out. Come one sweetie," Piper continued.

"Um, well. Kind of. Patti fell off this big rock trying to fly. Instead of flying she flew down to the ground and hit something. Her head got really messy with lots of blood," said Melinda in a low voice cringing at the last description.

Piper ran over ands looked at Patti going through her hair. Not a sign of blood was seen. "Where? She looks fine. Melinda if you're telling stories to scare us!" said Piper in a very stern voice.

"Melinda doesn't do that Piper. Go on, Melinda. Finish," said Leo turning back to his daughter.

"I was really scared. I ran over to Patti and picked up her head. She wasn't moving. The whole bottom side of her head was red and sticky. Um, I started to cry and I felt real funny. Both of my arms tingled like I hit my funny bone, Real Coca-cola like. Then my heads got all shiny, real bright. And all her blood started to disappear. It kind of dried up before me like magic. Patti woke up just like that and we came home. That's it that, I promise," swore Melinda holding up he hand.

Piper still holding Patti came over starring at Melinda and then looked deeply at Leo for an answer.

"I believe you Melinda. The Elders sensed it happening and notified me. Melinda you're so full of love for your sister that you made the hurt and pain go away. Don't be afraid. It was a good thing. You didn't do anything wrong. You're just growing up. Come here," said Leo looking very proud. Melinda jumped into her arms crying giving him a big hug,

"Whoa. Am I missing something or did my daughter heal Patti?" asked Piper trying not to sound nervous.

"That's exactly what she did, sweetheart. She is learning to use her powers," said a very proud father. Leo knew he would be passing life onto to his children, but what else they might inherit had been a mystery until now.

"The power of healing? I sorry but I thought that white lighters didn't get their powers until after they DIED. Melinda still has her whole life ahead of her. And I killed all of our powers! This isn't supposed to be happening!" said Piper sternly. One of her worst nightmares seemed to becoming true.

"Uh, Melinda. Go Patti and play with her in her room. Please," asked Leo lovingly.

"OK, Daddy. Come on, Patti. I love you!" she called to her daddy.

"Same here precious. Now Piper. You got rid of your individual powers, but you didn't stop the inheritance from the Warren line. You may not be able to freeze anything, but the gift that was handed down from generation to generation will continue. Just because you don't act like witches don't mean Melinda doesn't have the power. The Elders had been warning me of this. Not many white lighters have had children. We're quite the exception. And those that do have had children with mortals usually have children with very little power or none at all. The mortal genes dilute it or the children never learn to master what little power they have. We're different, Piper," explained Leo.

"You bet your ass we're different. We WANT that nice mortal existence," said a very peeved Piper.

"No, I mean your heritage. Melinda still inherited all the power that her ancestor and namesake Melinda Warren gave her. And it magnified the white lighter powers. With the power of the Charmed Ones and the genes of the white lighter, she may become the greatest white lighter ever. The Elders think she may even become the head of the Elder  
Council itself," said Leo sounding like she was destined to become the President of the United States.

"Did you know this would happened, angel boy?" asked Piper standing right in front of him and glaring him in the eyes,

"There was always that possibility!" replied Leo quite embarrassed. "But they couldn't be sure until it actually happened."

"And you never decided to share this little bit of IMPORTANT information with your wife? And here I am happily going along with thinking I'd saved my family from all the hurt and pain that..that it caused," cried Piper poking Leo in the chest. "You know how  
much losing Prue and Phoebe hurt me. You know what I vowed shortly after that. TO completely rid me of the Halliwell CURSE! Well, angel boy, I'm not taking this lightly!"

"Piper, the Elders just felt it best to leave you in the dark unless it showed up," replied Leo sternly but lovingly.

"These same chiefs that but us through all that hell about getting married? Anything else you not telling me? Any other disasters coming on us? What is the expiration date on our happiness? Is Melinda going to have a normal life? Is she going to DIE defending the all mighty good? Tell me, angel boy! When is Melinda a going to DIE? Tell me now! Before I pack up and leave here, tell me!" Piper's face was almost flush by now whiles he was venting her anger.

"Settle down, sweetheart. I really don't know. No one really knows his or her fate. Melinda is fairly safe while she's living. She is not a white lighter yet. Though if her powers do become great, she might attract evil things just like the Charmed Ones did. We'll protect her somehow," sighed Leo.

Piper started to cry, "Evil. Great. Trotting back into our life like the jockey from hell? How many more of us have to die Leo? How many?" cried Piper.

"Piper I wish I could tell you. Phoebe could never really foretell the future. You know how risky that is. You three were thrown ten years into the future and how much of it really came to be? We're married. We had Melinda and that's about it. The Elders have no  
corner on the crystal ball market. They just see the possibilities a little clearer than witches, mortals or even white lighters. Piper what will be will be only in its time."

"More sanctimonious moralizing double-talk from a bunch of high minded holier than thou supernatural whatzits that don't give a crap about the people there supposed to be caring for. That's the same all mighty all knowing all seeing group of backstabbing white lighters that couldn't save my sisters. They claim to be on the side of good and yet I've only seen the pain and sorrow that they can cause. If they cause the pains THEY MUST BE THE ONE'S WHO ARE EVIL!"

"Piper, please. Don't make things worse. Melinda may be part of that board of directors some day," said Leo trying to hush her.

"Over MY DEAD BODY!" screamed Piper banging on the table next to her.

"A body that they saved from time to time Piper. I can't justify wants going on. I can only report what's up and how we can deal with it," replied Leo, "I love you very much Piper and if our Melinda is going to help a lot of people we should be happy and proud of her."

"No. No supernatural Congress of metaphysical megamanics is going to start me upon the same path to hell again. Nor are they going to endanger my precious little Melinda. I will cast a spell, sacrifice a goat, make a potion, contact a medium, cross a dimension, visit a wizard, ask a favor from a demon or make a pack with the source himself to spare my daughter what she is still too innocent to even dream about!" cried Piper with her eyes glaring open wide.

"Piper, you will regret.." started Leo warning her.

Piper headed to the door. "You just watch me, angel boy!"

"And you want to be the instrument of evil to doom your own daughter?" cried out Leo.

Piper froze.

"Cross the line to evil and even I can't help you. You will lose me and Patti and the destiny you are trying to save your child from will be the only one she is destined to have. Melinda will be involved with evil and she will be doomed to an eternity of damnation! Piper I plead with you, I beg you not to let your temper get in the way of  
what's best for Melinda," pleaded Leo taking to cautious steps toward her.

"Great. Both of my choices lead to the worse for my daughter. Fine. We'll do everything we can to protect her. That's your department Leo. I already burned my shingle. But if anything ever, ever happens to her, Leo Wyatt. I don't think I could ever forgive you. I love you more than anything, but pulling us back in that battle between the light side and the dark side may be more than I can take!" said Piper coolly calmly and with great determination.

"We'll do it right, sweetheart," Leo said trying to comfort her.

"No, no. Don't touch me. Not right now. I have a lot of hurt to get over. I'm sorry Leo. It's just too much this moment. Please leave me with me children. Just for tonight, Leo," Piper requested her heart ripped in two.

"Piper!" said Leo looking hurt. "All right. I'll be back on the morning. Good night dear," said Leo as he orbed out as the musical sound had a certain sad tenor to it.

Piper broke into tears for a moment and then shook back her long hair, sniffed once and then headed toward her children. She knew what she had said might have said too much, but with all she was hit with suddenly she thought she had handled it well. It wasn't Leo's  
fault. She knew that. But as a mortal whom else could she lash out at. Her life would never be the same from now on. Just another milestone she had to deal with. At least she still had her children. She walked into Patti's room, picked her up and hugged her tightly as if she'd never let them go again. She would make it. She had come this far and she'd make it no matter what the future brought. No matter what!


End file.
